Cause Of The Civil War

As it is in every thing we do, events will always have many different, but connected causes. For example, weather is caused by things such as wind patterns, ocean temperatures, etc, which are all tied into the sun. The great compromiser Henry Clay stated to the Senate in an 1850 speech arguing his case for the compromise of 1850 “Every question, political, civil, or ecclesiastical – however foreign to the subject of slavery – brings up slavery….”(Clay) Slavery, much as the sun when compared to our weather, was indeed the root cause of the many varied conflicts that lead up to the American civil war.

Since slavery was the primary cause of the conflicts that eventually lead to the secession of 11 southern states, and in turn the civil war, it seems only fitting that slavery is the first issue to be examined. Historically, while slavery has always been an issue that can cause many debates, it must be examined through the eyes of both sides, in this case the American north, and the American South. The north’s view of slavery had only one true, logical, and factual argument: morality. The issue of slavery has been justified by many different reasons, but in the end, has always lost to morality. The phrase “All men are created equal” has never been believed to be a falsehood, for the obvious reason that our destiny, fate, or whatever you may wish to call our sense of higher calling, does not depend on how we are born; rather, it depends on a combination of factors, most of which are, ultimately, in our own control. Thus, for us to own another person is to treat them, not as a person, but as a piece of property; and if we are to do so, and yet believe in the proposition that all men are created equal, we are committing hypocrisy, a cardinal sin, no matter who you talk to. However, the South had quite a different take on the topic of slavery, that focused on two main points: it’s impact on the Southern economy, and the so called happy plantation theory; which stated that the slaves were “ [living] the happy life of their singing, dancing, banjo-strumming “darkies.”” (Kennedy 359)

There is no doubt that, without slavery, the southern economy would fall into a state of shambles. Because the southern economy was largely based on huge plantations, and there was little machination in the process’s involved in agriculture until the early 1900’s, it was much cheaper for the southern plantation owner to simply buy slaves, build them some small houses, and make sure they provided adequate food, water, and medical attention, then it would have been for them to pay for the labor required. The second strongest argument the south had, the so-called Happy plantation theory, gained ground for two primary reasons. First of all, with few exceptions, most slaves were treated decently at worst; this was because the slave owners viewed slaves as an investment, and as such, they made sure that they could get the maximum value out of their investment.